Crawley vs Crawley
by HeadandHeart
Summary: Basically a college AU with Matthew and Mary butting heads and bantering and sexual tension arises!
1. Chapter 1

She scoffs when she hears his answer to the question. What a pretentious douche, she thinks as her friend knocks her shoulders to get her to shut up.  
"Ms. Crawley? Do you have something you would like to say?"  
She looks up at the professor and smiles. "Yes, I would just like to say this gentlemen right here, is wrong."  
The guy who answered the question raises his eyebrows and turns towards her.  
"What I'm saying is an opinion, Ms. Crawley."  
She smirks, "Your opinion is wrong then. Tess was in a distraught position and of course, the testosterone in you would stop you from seeing her point of view."  
He gapes at her, "No, Tess had the opportunity but she missed it and it is entirely her fault that she had to wait until the wedding to tell him."  
"God, you're daft. Tess was worried that he wouldn't love her anymore if she had told him."  
"Well, she should've had faith."  
"In what? The piggish, man ways of the patriarchal world? Yes, I would have had _so_ much faith back then too."  
This banter goes on for a few more minutes until one of the students mentions that class is already over and all that's left after the shuffle of students, are the both of them glaring at each other.  
"You didn't have to embarrass me." He muttered under his breath as he slung his bag onto his shoulder.  
"Then where would be the fun in that?" She grins at him, before flipping her hair and walking away.  
He rolled his eyes and followed her out the door, slamming it shut.

* * *

"God, you should have seen this girl Tom! She was so full of herself."  
Tom clapped him on the back and lifted his finger  
"Another for my very angry friend over here."  
Matthew groaned, shoving his head into his hands. It was so embarrassing, she kept attacking him and while he enjoyed a good argument, he also didn't like being played with.  
Tom was his best mate from primary school and was now on his way to becoming a journalist major while he was studying law.  
God, why did he think Classical Literature would be an easy class? Stupid him.  
He shook his head as another cold beer was placed in front of him.  
"Oh god, I can't. I have to finish my thesis for debate class tonight."  
"Alright Matty, more for me." Tom chugged it down and wiped his mouth on sleeve.  
Matthew moaned again, this time _much_ louder.  
"Cheer up mate! You can show this girl up tomorrow but tonight, you're with a Branson which means you're going to have fun."  
He surveyed the room for girls; Matty's been in a slump ever since his last girlfriend dumped him because they were heading in different directions. Matty, of course the romantic, wanted to make it work but she didn't.  
Woah, who was _that_? A raven haired girl entered with her friend, she was laughing and Tom thought that that was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.  
"Matty, come on, two gorgeous girls just walked into the bar."  
Matthew batted him away, being not in the mood to flirt with girls.  
"Leave me to wallow Tom."  
"Come on Matty, please! Be my wingman."  
He finally relented and got up with his friend, shuffling his feet and looking down.  
He heard Tom start talking and mentally prepared himself for some girl who would just probably bore him.  
"Ladies, can I buy you a drink?" Tom grinned at the raven haired girl.  
She smiled back and nodded, "Alright. Two shots of tequila then."  
"Oh by the way, I'm Tom and this is my friend Matthew."  
He nodded hello, shoving his hands into his pocket.  
"Oh I'm Sybil, this is my sister Mary."  
He looked up and froze.  
Oh god, it was the same girl who embarrassed him in front of the class.  
Oh bloody hell, he sighed, could this night get any worse?  
Mary smirked at the sight of him paling.  
This was going to be fun.


	2. Chapter 2

They sit for a few minutes, shoulder to shoulder and the tension between them is thick.  
Fuck the thesis, he thinks, as he lifts his finger for another drink. Only alcohol can help with these circumstances.  
He turns to look at his opponent and is fascinated at how angry and attracted he can be at the same time.  
Her dark hair, put up in a bun in class, is now in dark tumbles down her back and skin is literally like porcelain. He can't see a single flaw on her and that just fuels the anger inside of him.  
"You didn't have to do that in class." She raises her eyebrow at the sound of his voice.  
Alright, he wants to talk now.  
"Do what? I did what I wanted to do. Freedom of speech, I would have thought a future lawyer would understand that."  
God, this girl! Did she have no regard for anyone else?  
"I do understand that but that right doesn't really apply to people who bully."  
"Me? A bully? Exactly, how? I was just stating my opinion."  
His pent up anger spilled out, it wasn't a rational decision and the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop it.  
"What a spoiled brat."  
Her head turns sharply and she just glares at him for a few seconds before reaching into her pocket and shoving money onto the table.  
She turns to look at him.  
"Anyways, this really made me night, being insulted. So I'll see you around then."  
Her voice never wavered and nor did her eyes, that made him feel guiltier by the second.  
She walked over to her sister and whispered into her ear.  
Sybil looked up with concerned eyes and motioned to the door but Mary shook her head, and with one more cold look tossed behind her shoulder, she walked out of the bar.

* * *

"You should have seen him Anna! He was such a tosser! He called me a spoiled brat."  
Mary licked the ice cream off her spoon.  
"Well I mean you sort of are.."  
Mary rolls her eyes and shoves her friend.  
"I know I am and you know only you're allowed to call me spoiled but still, the nerve. He doesn't even know me."  
Anna sighed, this was going to be a long night.  
"You were sort of harsh Mary."  
"Well I'm not in college to be soft on people am I?"  
"Come on Mary, you have every right to be mad at him but don't you think he also has the right to be mad at you?"  
Mary glares at her before shoving her head into her hands.  
"Do you _always_ have to be right, Anna?"  
Anna grins, "Yes. Or else you wouldn't listen to me."  
Mary leans her head onto Anna's shoulder and sighs  
"Please never move out. We could just live together forever and you can take care of me and I'll let you borrow all my clothing."  
Anna laughs before turning off the TV.  
"Come on, before long, some man will come calling for a date."  
"Who needs men! They should all just bugger off."

* * *

Tom groans as Matthew taps his fingers against his laptop.  
"Matty, it's 4:30am, just go to sleep!"  
"I can't! I keep feeling so guilty about what I said and I have to finish this thesis and I can't think!"  
Tom rubs his eyes and sits down next to him.  
"Alright, what's the thesis on?"  
"Corruption in American politics."  
"It's bad, it shouldn't be in politics and we'd be all better without it. There's your thesis, now go to bed."  
Matthew grimaces, taking a sip from his coffee mug.  
"You know I can't do that. If it were only that simple."  
"Okay, let's go the other way. Tell me your feelings about Mary."  
"I just feel so bad for calling her spoiled. Like alright, I know she was rude to me in class but that's no reason for me to be so uncivil towards her."  
"Then just apologize tomorrow whenever you see her!"  
"But I really don't want to, Tom. I mean she was being rude towards me and she never apologized."  
God, Matthew was always bad at making decisions. His morals always got in the way.  
"Matty, just be the better man in this situation. You always are."  
"I guess you're right."  
Tom let out a sigh of relief, "Now go finish your thesis alright, your loud clacking is giving me a headache."


End file.
